Last spring I met with Dan Braniff, founder of the Common Front for Pension Splitting. Dan has a history of success with single issues and having been successful the Common Front was looking for a new iniative.
Dan felt that SIPA initiatives were interesting and invited us to meet with members of the Common Front in Collingwood to discuss initiatives.

The meeting proved conclusive and it was agreed that the Common Front would take on a new initiative Retiremnet Security. This iniative comprises many of the issues that SIPA has been pursuing and so we are pleased to participate with the Common Front.

Dan is a man with energy and imagination and a background of success in achieving goals. His work with the front has made him familiar to Government and will will ably lead this group on this new venture.

A press release gained attention across the country and you will hear much more in future as additional organizations join the Common Front. There are now 18 organizations represneting millions of voters so we expect politicians will begin to pay heed.

see a lawyer if you feel you have been misled, misinformed, or abused financially. Even if you feel foolish or feel like you have just been duped by a fast talking salesman, I suggest you inquire or more than one lawyer.
They will better understand the "duty of care" required of a professional. You will not be thinking as clearly or as objectively as they will. Sit down and tell them what happened to you, as you understand it. They will likely charge you nothing for an initial visit. What have you got to lose but some pride?

If you decide to go through the "proper" regulatory channels, that also may have to be done, but understand that the industry, the self regulators, and the regulators all come from the same pool. They swim together, work together, and circulate freely. Many experts have suggested (as I do) that the regulators are suffering from something called "regulatory capture". I wont go into detail, but suffice it to say in my opinion, none will be on your side. Their job security takes priority over your situation.

Last edited by admin on Wed Feb 13, 2008 1:15 am, edited 2 times in total.

Here is what to do if you would like to ensure that your investment account is not used as a dumping ground for ill conceived or poorly constructed, high commission investment products.

Write a letter to your investment firm, and state that you are assuming they will act in YOUR interests, and not in the interests of the firm and the salesman. Tell them you are RELYING on the advertising promise of YOU FIRST or TRUST US or any of the many forms of advertising that the industry uses to gain clients.

Tell them another three or four things which tend to be used in court to determine if they owe you a duty of care:

Tell them you trust them to act professionally and in your interests.
Tell them you are vulnerable to the different levels of knowledge they posess verses yourself on matters such as fees, returns, risks.
Tell them you trust that they will honor and follow BEST practices in matters of codes of ethics, mission statements, and professional rules and regulations.

Above all tell them you are NOT looking for a salesman, or a relationship of buyer beware. You may not grant them discretion (total authority) over your account, but that aside from this one aspect, the other four tests of duty are involved, and you expect them to act in your interests, not firstly theirs.

Sadly, if you fail to clarify these expectations, you may be in a position of many seniors, who after being taken advantage of by salespersons posing as advisors, faced a legal defense that depends on the above to tell the client that "they did not owe you a duty of care". (contrary to what the advertising and codes say)

If you fail to get a satisfactory response, a response where the firm seems to understand, agree and admit that they owe you (the customer) a duty of professional care, then you must ask yourself the questions. The questions are: How is this response different from the promises that their advertising contains? Does it coincide or contradict?
If the advertising promise differs from the duty of care response, then you may be dealing with a firm whose words do not match their deeds. Buyer beware if that is the case.

for further info on what the industry claims when push comes to shove see case law such as:
Cosgrove V RBC
Hunt V TD Waterhouse
cases found at www.investorvoice.ca

Last edited by admin on Sun Feb 17, 2008 12:53 am, edited 3 times in total.

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